📹 AVA Cinema Remote - First Setup
Start here! This video shows the fundamentals of setting up a standalone AVA OS project on a Cinema Remote.
Transcript
Opening
Your first setup with AVA OS should be with just a single AVA Cinema Remote.
Other videos in this channel show you how to build multi-room systems with the AVA Nano Brain and multiple remotes.
But start here with a basic system.
Demo
This simple setup involves just a Samsung Frame TV, an NAD AV Receiver, and an Apple TV.
You’ll be able to do a lot after following along with just this.
Welcome & WiFi
After powering up and arriving at the Welcome screen, tap Begin and connect to WiFi.
You can unmask the password to catch typos.
When connected, tap the back button to continue.
Google Account
A Google account enables the Cinema Remote to update from the Play Store.
You need one Google account for each home you set up.
Never use anyone’s personal Google account…neither your own, nor your customer’s.
This keeps personal data—like login credentials, email, and text messages—off the remote.
Create a new Google account for each home you set up.
Use the same account for all AVA remotes in that home, including remotes that you add later.
On the remote, you can tap Create Account,
then For My Personal Use.
Experienced AVA Pros register from a computer browser beforehand.
Enter a general name rather than an individual’s.
Set an over-21 birthdate. Gender is not important for this.
Store the ID and password for each client’s home in a secure password keeper.
Choose whether to agree to Google’s terms.
Then, skip past the rest of the suggested settings Google presents.
No selfie…or backup…or screen locks.
App Updates & License
Update the AVA app and the Dynamic Keypad app when the remote prompts you.
If a background update to the Google Play Store disrupts these updates, you can restart the remote by pressing the power button that is flush to the remote’s right edge.
New Project and Pro Login
Once up to date, choose whether to accept the license and data policy and then allow AVA OS to start.
Other videos show how to join existing projects; we’re creating a new Project.
You cannot set up an AVA OS project without an AVA Pro account.
It’s the same account you use to log in to the AVA Store and AVA Support site. Never share it out.
After logging in, choose whether to run the project on the remote, or on an AVA Nano Brain.
Keeping your first setup simple, tap Remote Only.
Name the project…and then assign the remote to a room.
You assign a name to the remote at this point, too.
Names help when you have multiple projects and devices on the network.
The project gets created and you’re ready to start adding devices.
Add Devices
Start with the brand of the device, like…Samsung.
Infrared drivers typically require you to specify a model.
But most IP drivers, like this Samsung Frame IP driver, don’t actually use the model.
After selecting an IP driver, always review the device requirements to ensure control.
The QR code gets the instructions onto other devices.
IP drivers often can discover the device on the network, or allow you to enter an IP address.
Either way, set a DHCP reservation or static address for any device being controlled.
After selecting the discovered Frame TV, Samsung requires a confirmation using their OEM remote.
Then you add it to a room in the project.
Add the next device, in this case an NAD AV Receiver.
Select the driver for the correct zone…and run through its setup steps
AVA OS discovered it…so use the selected device and add it to the same room as the TV.
And then add the last device…the Apple TV 4K.
The Apple TV displays a security code on screen when the driver connects, so you want to have it on screen when adding the driver.
With the three devices now added, tap Done.
You can see here that the room has icons for the TV and Apple TV.
These icons are actually Flows in AVA OS.
Flows are kind of like macros. They’re used to orchestrate devices, and you can customize them, if needed.
Red Badge and Wiring
The red badge on the Apple TV icon indicates you still have still some setup steps left.
Tap Apple TV to set up the Wiring.
Pick the diagram that matches your setup and the remote powers on the three devices.
Then AVA OS wants to know how the TV connects to the AVR.
When you choose an input, the system switches the TV to that input so you can confirm.
That happens in realtime, so if you select wrong, you will know and then you can correct.
Now you tell the system which input on the AV Receiver has the Apple TV connected.
The red badge is now gone and Apple TV is ready to use.
I’ll turn it off from here.
Hide the TV Flow
Since I only watch Apple TV in this room, the Flow icon for TV is clutter.
So, let’s remove it.
Press and hold somewhere near the icon.
When Edit Home Screen shows at the top of the screen, tap it.
Hide the TV, tap done, and it’s gone.
Backup the Project
When you have the setup working and ready to hand off to your client, back up your work.
In the top left of the screen, tap the menu, then tap Settings.
Tap System, then Backup & Restore, and then Backup Project.
Tap the Back Up Now and a moment later, you can tap Show Link to download the encrypted backup file.
Installer Settings
Finally, you can protect the setup from kids and other meddlers by going to Installer Settings and adding a PIN.
Doing so limits the options in the Settings menu.
If you forget the PIN, you can use your AVA Pro account to recover and get the full menu back.
Wrap Up
This simple demo is just the beginning.
There’s a lot more you can do with AVA OS.